I once saw bats flying around me in the Italian part of Switzerland. They would come out after sunset and swoop over our heads. Pretty trippy experience that I obviously can’t forget. You seem to have had a very interesting experience yourself!
I can imagine that was an experience that stays with you!
In my research for this and the previous bat essay, I came across a researcher's efforts to dispel the myth that bats fly in your hair. I'm paraphrasing, but they said something ilke, "A bat can echolocate a mosquito in the dark. They're not gong to fly in your hair by accident."
The flying foxes were among the highlights of my time in Australia. I feel so lucky!
Delightful, fascinating and unexpected as always! Thank you Elizabeth.
On a wander through TX, USA I stumbled upon one of those storied bat caves that looks like a simple hole in the ground but is home for nearly countless thousands...it took them 35 minutes to exit for their nighttime flights of fancy. Extraordinary and misunderstood, for certain. So well done. ~J
35 minutes!! Wow - that must've been a big colony! When you say you stumbled upon it, I have a vision of you standing there by yourself while these bats pour out of a hole in the ground. But maybe you mean a place others knew about, too? 🦇
Thanks for allowing this particular line of enthusiasm into your day, Janice. Much appreciated.
Right? So many ways to stumble....it was a little park near a little town at the end of my travel day...and now I may have to relocate the place with the memory. Thanks for the inquiry. There were a few of us that particular evening and somewhere....photos. I was mesmerized. I appreciate YOU reminding me of more natural magic! J
In our farm days, I swear we had every manner of winged being in our house at some point. So, I hear you on how tricky it is when a bat makes the mistake of flying into a house. I don't think we were smart enough back then to know that the recommended solution is to just open the windows and doors and let it find its way back out again. They are such smart animals!
I loved this opportunity to learn about animals I know almost nothing about, and to consider why we fear what we do and tell the stories we do. We've had very few bats in the places I've lived, and it makes sense that I have an unreasonable fear of them. Stories about them getting tangled in hair + no personal knowledge or experience = an irrational prejudice. I have the same irrational feelings about rats vs. squirrels. Both are rodents and kinda pesky, but I have a loathing of rats and affection for squirrels. I think its about their different tails? Like I said: irrational. Your words about what we don't understand, and how our stories that reveal more about ourselves than those we're telling them about, and our uses of language made me think of how we so often frame disabilities. I read last night the idea that disability is not the opposite of ability, and your ideas are connecting to that for me. There is so much gray in our world! I will admit that I still don't want a close encounter with a bat, but I won't feel good about that feeling. (And that's a good thing!) Progress, right?
Great comment, Rita. There's a lot here. I love how you're linking this to the stories we tell about disability. Possibly it's true for anything that feels "different?" My mother also had an irrational fear of rats, and I am challenged by cockroaches. 😅 I smiled at your “irrational but acknowledged” feeling about bats — that’s exactly where empathy begins. Yes, progress! As for the stories of bats getting tangled in hair, see my comment to Teresa O'Conner. Thanks for thinking with me and making me think some more.
I have been challenged by cockroaches ever since I lived in a building infested with them in college. That is not a case of ignorance-based revulsion. I know exactly why they make my skin crawl. 🙂
And yes, I think it applies to anything that feels different. Probably all the isms.
As a public health practitioner, I have a particular fascination with bats. Because they have among the most efficient immune systems of all animals, they are able to be infected with a wide array of viruses and not get sick. Consequently, they are able to harbor a dizzying array of infections and are a frequent source of spillover for some of the scary ones (Ebola, Marburg, Nipah, Lyssavirus in Australia). But they danger they pose usually relates to changes we as humans make to their habitats, and they also have so much to teach us about infections and immune response. We need to put the work in to learn how to protect them and live with them safely.
Thank you for bringing this perspective, Sybil. it adds such an important layer to the conversation. I love the way you framed bats not as villains but as teachers — that what makes them biologically fascinating is also what makes them scapegoats when ecosystems get out of balance. It’s humbling (and a bit haunting) to realize how often our disruptions set the stage for the very fears we project onto other species.
Fruit bats are maybe a little more acceptable because they are cute. Those vulpine faces, the large eyes draw us in. Nobody ever said a Horseshoe bat was a cutie...
Ha! Ha, fair point, June! The flying foxes definitely have the advantage in the looks department — those big eyes and long noses. I suppose beauty (or at least sympathy) really is in the eye of the beholder. Still, I can’t help thinking even the less “cute” species have a kind of strange, gothic elegance to them once you start looking closely.
I will beg to differ with the idea that no one ever said certain bats were cute. The bat biology friend I interviewed for the previous linked essay would 100% find them all. adorable. ☺️
Elizabeth ~ My son-in-law is a neuroscientist working with, among other things, bats. He spends lots of time in secluded parts of Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks documenting many facets of their health and behavior. His research is being used for the study of Alzheimer's and other human brain disorders. Bats... so necessary in so many ways.
Wow, what a fascinating line of work — and what a stunning place to do it! I’m amazed by how much bat research connects to human health. It’s such a lovely reminder that these creatures we often overlook (or even fear) are essential in ways we’re only beginning to understand. So grateful for the comment, Kim, and please give your son-in-law my thanks as well.
Wonderful story and beautifully told! Bats were always present in my childhood in Brasil, both as benign lovely creatures of dusk, and as vampire like blood sucking threats, for real! In Borneo, they were sold in the local markets, stuck on a bamboo stick, ready for barbecue... fascinating creatures (bats and humans).
Erica! I love this glimpse into your memories. "Benign lovely creatures of dusk” and “vampire-like threats” feels like the perfect encapsulation of how bats live in our imaginations. Only humans could manage to both mythologize and barbecue them!
My research taught me that vampire bats don't actually suck blood. If you can tolerate the science, they make a tiny incision with their teeth and lap up what comes out. The livestock don't even seem to notice.
Thank you for sharing this — it adds such rich texture to the conversation.
What a great opening line: "We were driving through the city one evening when I first noticed them, silhouettes soaring above the bustle, like scraps from a hundred celestial quiltmakers dropped across the dimming sky."
The video is amazing. It is almost startling to see them all in those trees in the daylight. Wow. This is a very interesting tour through cultural reaction to "bats."
Love this: "I thought of Dracula, of Samhain, of my brother’s stereo thundering Night on Bald Mountain, and I felt the long thread of our stories—how awe and apprehension twist together through time."
I can't quite imagine standing under them and clapping, but I'm glad you had that experience and shared it with us. A wingspan that would fill a doorway.... oh my.
Thank you, Amy — that means so much. I remember writing that first line and trying to capture the sense of wonder they inspired without discounting the tension. Seeing them by daylight was nothing short of inspiring for me, as if we’d caught a glimpse of something not meant to be seen. I don't fault anyone for not wanting to get too close, but I'm kind of at the opposite end of that spectrum. While I'd never do it in the wild I'll admit I'd readily pet one if I was in a situation that made that feel safe. 🥰 So fuzzy!!
Suzanne, I love that you taught your first graders about bats. What a gift to help them see these creatures with curiosity instead of fear. I'm hearing Stellaluna in my head as I type.
And yes, the mosquito-eating talents of the ones local to us make them special heroes in my book!
Small aside: A former neighbor had a small colony that lived in her chimney. We used to watch them fly in and out at dusk. We never told her out of fear she'd have them exterminated. 😬
Ha! I promise it’s benevolent witchcraft, Eileen — just a gentle spell of appreciation. I’m so glad the bats won you over (at least a little). Thank you for reading with such an open mind and a twinkle in your eye, as always.
Lovely to hear your voice. I listened at noon by the Rhine River in the Netherlands , so a very different setting. I love bats but never knew there were such big ones! Often when I spend time in caves or dolmens at night, cats are my companions, with their supersonic hearing… I loved being on the journey with you, sensorially and also events from your childhood and cultural interpretations. Thank you!!!
On another note - I’ve done a few voice overs and then didn’t make time for them again. Do you have a sense on people reading vs listening? Added appreciation? I’m not in the habit of listening to things myself (not a podcast person), but it was a really nice gift, sat by the river, resting my eyes and being carried by your voice 🙏🏽
It was part of the ritual of camping with my dad in the High Sierras -- after dinner and before it was time to light the campfire, sit out in the gathering twilight and watch the bats overhead, hunting down their mosquito appetizers. Much smaller than these "flying foxes," but still amazing to watch. Thanks so much for this, Elizabeth!
Love this story, Elizabeth. What a memory to have!
A regret I have when it comes to bat-watching where I live is that I'm both surrounded by trees and impacted by small-town light pollution (street lights, security lights, etc). So I can't see them as well as I'd like. The fruit bats are too big to be missed!
Oh man those bats are cute! as a baby oth I aligned myself with these and other so called creatures of the night. Bats are truly adorable little critters and they has a special place in my now older goth heart.
Happy to be in the company of yet another bat-friend! Do you have flying foxes near you? I'm smitten. 🦇 Thanks, too, for the restacks, Evelyn. MUCH appreciated!
I once saw bats flying around me in the Italian part of Switzerland. They would come out after sunset and swoop over our heads. Pretty trippy experience that I obviously can’t forget. You seem to have had a very interesting experience yourself!
I can imagine that was an experience that stays with you!
In my research for this and the previous bat essay, I came across a researcher's efforts to dispel the myth that bats fly in your hair. I'm paraphrasing, but they said something ilke, "A bat can echolocate a mosquito in the dark. They're not gong to fly in your hair by accident."
The flying foxes were among the highlights of my time in Australia. I feel so lucky!
I bet it was a highlight. Good to know about bats and hair. They did seem to dive bomb us a little so good to know our heads were safe.
Delightful, fascinating and unexpected as always! Thank you Elizabeth.
On a wander through TX, USA I stumbled upon one of those storied bat caves that looks like a simple hole in the ground but is home for nearly countless thousands...it took them 35 minutes to exit for their nighttime flights of fancy. Extraordinary and misunderstood, for certain. So well done. ~J
35 minutes!! Wow - that must've been a big colony! When you say you stumbled upon it, I have a vision of you standing there by yourself while these bats pour out of a hole in the ground. But maybe you mean a place others knew about, too? 🦇
Thanks for allowing this particular line of enthusiasm into your day, Janice. Much appreciated.
Right? So many ways to stumble....it was a little park near a little town at the end of my travel day...and now I may have to relocate the place with the memory. Thanks for the inquiry. There were a few of us that particular evening and somewhere....photos. I was mesmerized. I appreciate YOU reminding me of more natural magic! J
Bats are fine in open areas outdoors. My niece had one in her house. Too close for comfort. Loved your daughter’s clapping.
Thanks, Monica! Grateful for your comment.
In our farm days, I swear we had every manner of winged being in our house at some point. So, I hear you on how tricky it is when a bat makes the mistake of flying into a house. I don't think we were smart enough back then to know that the recommended solution is to just open the windows and doors and let it find its way back out again. They are such smart animals!
I loved this opportunity to learn about animals I know almost nothing about, and to consider why we fear what we do and tell the stories we do. We've had very few bats in the places I've lived, and it makes sense that I have an unreasonable fear of them. Stories about them getting tangled in hair + no personal knowledge or experience = an irrational prejudice. I have the same irrational feelings about rats vs. squirrels. Both are rodents and kinda pesky, but I have a loathing of rats and affection for squirrels. I think its about their different tails? Like I said: irrational. Your words about what we don't understand, and how our stories that reveal more about ourselves than those we're telling them about, and our uses of language made me think of how we so often frame disabilities. I read last night the idea that disability is not the opposite of ability, and your ideas are connecting to that for me. There is so much gray in our world! I will admit that I still don't want a close encounter with a bat, but I won't feel good about that feeling. (And that's a good thing!) Progress, right?
Great comment, Rita. There's a lot here. I love how you're linking this to the stories we tell about disability. Possibly it's true for anything that feels "different?" My mother also had an irrational fear of rats, and I am challenged by cockroaches. 😅 I smiled at your “irrational but acknowledged” feeling about bats — that’s exactly where empathy begins. Yes, progress! As for the stories of bats getting tangled in hair, see my comment to Teresa O'Conner. Thanks for thinking with me and making me think some more.
But will they fly in your hair ON PURPOSE?!?
I have been challenged by cockroaches ever since I lived in a building infested with them in college. That is not a case of ignorance-based revulsion. I know exactly why they make my skin crawl. 🙂
And yes, I think it applies to anything that feels different. Probably all the isms.
As a public health practitioner, I have a particular fascination with bats. Because they have among the most efficient immune systems of all animals, they are able to be infected with a wide array of viruses and not get sick. Consequently, they are able to harbor a dizzying array of infections and are a frequent source of spillover for some of the scary ones (Ebola, Marburg, Nipah, Lyssavirus in Australia). But they danger they pose usually relates to changes we as humans make to their habitats, and they also have so much to teach us about infections and immune response. We need to put the work in to learn how to protect them and live with them safely.
Thank you for bringing this perspective, Sybil. it adds such an important layer to the conversation. I love the way you framed bats not as villains but as teachers — that what makes them biologically fascinating is also what makes them scapegoats when ecosystems get out of balance. It’s humbling (and a bit haunting) to realize how often our disruptions set the stage for the very fears we project onto other species.
Fruit bats are maybe a little more acceptable because they are cute. Those vulpine faces, the large eyes draw us in. Nobody ever said a Horseshoe bat was a cutie...
Ha! Ha, fair point, June! The flying foxes definitely have the advantage in the looks department — those big eyes and long noses. I suppose beauty (or at least sympathy) really is in the eye of the beholder. Still, I can’t help thinking even the less “cute” species have a kind of strange, gothic elegance to them once you start looking closely.
I will beg to differ with the idea that no one ever said certain bats were cute. The bat biology friend I interviewed for the previous linked essay would 100% find them all. adorable. ☺️
Haha! Beautiful bats! 🦇
Elizabeth ~ My son-in-law is a neuroscientist working with, among other things, bats. He spends lots of time in secluded parts of Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks documenting many facets of their health and behavior. His research is being used for the study of Alzheimer's and other human brain disorders. Bats... so necessary in so many ways.
Wow, what a fascinating line of work — and what a stunning place to do it! I’m amazed by how much bat research connects to human health. It’s such a lovely reminder that these creatures we often overlook (or even fear) are essential in ways we’re only beginning to understand. So grateful for the comment, Kim, and please give your son-in-law my thanks as well.
Wonderful story and beautifully told! Bats were always present in my childhood in Brasil, both as benign lovely creatures of dusk, and as vampire like blood sucking threats, for real! In Borneo, they were sold in the local markets, stuck on a bamboo stick, ready for barbecue... fascinating creatures (bats and humans).
Erica! I love this glimpse into your memories. "Benign lovely creatures of dusk” and “vampire-like threats” feels like the perfect encapsulation of how bats live in our imaginations. Only humans could manage to both mythologize and barbecue them!
My research taught me that vampire bats don't actually suck blood. If you can tolerate the science, they make a tiny incision with their teeth and lap up what comes out. The livestock don't even seem to notice.
Thank you for sharing this — it adds such rich texture to the conversation.
What a great opening line: "We were driving through the city one evening when I first noticed them, silhouettes soaring above the bustle, like scraps from a hundred celestial quiltmakers dropped across the dimming sky."
The video is amazing. It is almost startling to see them all in those trees in the daylight. Wow. This is a very interesting tour through cultural reaction to "bats."
Love this: "I thought of Dracula, of Samhain, of my brother’s stereo thundering Night on Bald Mountain, and I felt the long thread of our stories—how awe and apprehension twist together through time."
I can't quite imagine standing under them and clapping, but I'm glad you had that experience and shared it with us. A wingspan that would fill a doorway.... oh my.
Thank you, Amy — that means so much. I remember writing that first line and trying to capture the sense of wonder they inspired without discounting the tension. Seeing them by daylight was nothing short of inspiring for me, as if we’d caught a glimpse of something not meant to be seen. I don't fault anyone for not wanting to get too close, but I'm kind of at the opposite end of that spectrum. While I'd never do it in the wild I'll admit I'd readily pet one if I was in a situation that made that feel safe. 🥰 So fuzzy!!
Bats are wonderful creatures that consume the mosquitoes that drive me crazy. I taught my first graders about them so they wouldn’t be afraid of them.
Suzanne, I love that you taught your first graders about bats. What a gift to help them see these creatures with curiosity instead of fear. I'm hearing Stellaluna in my head as I type.
And yes, the mosquito-eating talents of the ones local to us make them special heroes in my book!
Small aside: A former neighbor had a small colony that lived in her chimney. We used to watch them fly in and out at dusk. We never told her out of fear she'd have them exterminated. 😬
Now you've made me feel cozy about BATS? What is this witchcraft?
You're a game changer, Ms Beggins. Thanks for the look through bat-friendly eyes.
Ha! I promise it’s benevolent witchcraft, Eileen — just a gentle spell of appreciation. I’m so glad the bats won you over (at least a little). Thank you for reading with such an open mind and a twinkle in your eye, as always.
Lovely to hear your voice. I listened at noon by the Rhine River in the Netherlands , so a very different setting. I love bats but never knew there were such big ones! Often when I spend time in caves or dolmens at night, cats are my companions, with their supersonic hearing… I loved being on the journey with you, sensorially and also events from your childhood and cultural interpretations. Thank you!!!
On another note - I’ve done a few voice overs and then didn’t make time for them again. Do you have a sense on people reading vs listening? Added appreciation? I’m not in the habit of listening to things myself (not a podcast person), but it was a really nice gift, sat by the river, resting my eyes and being carried by your voice 🙏🏽
It was part of the ritual of camping with my dad in the High Sierras -- after dinner and before it was time to light the campfire, sit out in the gathering twilight and watch the bats overhead, hunting down their mosquito appetizers. Much smaller than these "flying foxes," but still amazing to watch. Thanks so much for this, Elizabeth!
Love this story, Elizabeth. What a memory to have!
A regret I have when it comes to bat-watching where I live is that I'm both surrounded by trees and impacted by small-town light pollution (street lights, security lights, etc). So I can't see them as well as I'd like. The fruit bats are too big to be missed!
Oh man those bats are cute! as a baby oth I aligned myself with these and other so called creatures of the night. Bats are truly adorable little critters and they has a special place in my now older goth heart.
Happy to be in the company of yet another bat-friend! Do you have flying foxes near you? I'm smitten. 🦇 Thanks, too, for the restacks, Evelyn. MUCH appreciated!